Medication Dispensing System

1. A medication dispensing system, comprising: a. at least one medication storage hopper configured to store a medication therein; b. a medication dispensing mechanism, configured to dispense an amount of the medication specified by a medication prescription to a predetermined location at a time specified by the medication prescription in a response to a dispensing instruction signal; c. a user interface that includes a patient notification mechanism and d. a processor, in communication with a global computer network, that is configured to: i. store the medication prescription; ii. issue the dispensing instruction signal to the medication dispensing mechanism at the time specified by the medication prescription, wherein the dispensing instruction signal instructs the medication dispensing mechanism to dispense the amount of the medication specified by the medication prescription; iii. cause the patient notification mechanism to issue an alert once the amount of the medication has been dispensed to the predetermined location; iv. maintain a count of how many units of the medication are stored in the hopper; and v. notify a remote computer when the count indicates that fewer than a predetermined number of units of the medication remain in the hopper; wherein the user interface includes a mechanism for a patient to acknowledge receipt of the amount of medication that has been dispensed and wherein the processor causes the notification mechanism to cease the alert when the patient has acknowledged receipt of the amount of medication that has been dispensed; and wherein the processor is further configured to send a signal via the global computer network to an individual other than the patient when the patient has failed to acknowledge receipt of the amount of medication within a predetermined amount of time after the alert has been issued by the patient notification mechanism.

2. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a keyboard by which the medication prescription is entered to the processor.

3. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the patient notification mechanism includes an audible alarm.

4. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive from a remote computer, via the global computer network, an instruction to change the prescription, thereby causing the processor to store a changed prescription in response thereto.

5. A system for dispensing at a medication, comprising: a. a medication storage hopper configured to store the medication therein; b. a medication dispensing mechanism, configured to dispense an amount of the medication specified by a medication prescription to a predetermined location at a time specified by the medication prescription in a response to a dispensing instruction signal; c. a user interface that includes: i. a patient notification mechanism that is configured to issue a audible alarm; ii. a keyboard by which the medication prescription is entered to the processor; and iii. a mechanism for a patient to acknowledge receipt of the amount of medication that has been dispensed; and d. a processor, in communication with a global computer network, that is configured to: i. store the medication prescription; ii. issue the dispensing instruction signal to the medication dispensing mechanism at the time specified by the medication prescription, wherein the dispensing instruction signal instructs the medication dispensing mechanism to dispense the amount of the medication specified by the medication prescription; iii. cause the patient notification mechanism to sound the audible alarm once the amount of the medication has been dispensed to the predetermined location and cause the notification mechanism to cease sounding the alarm when the patient has acknowledged receipt of the amount of medication that has been dispensed; iv. maintain a count of how many units of the medication are stored in the hopper; v. notify a remote computer via the global computer network when the count indicates that fewer than a predetermined number of units of the medication remain in the hopper; vi. send a signal via the global computer network to an individual other than the patient when the patient has failed to acknowledge receipt of the amount of medication within a predetermined amount of time after the alert has been issued by the patient notification mechanism; and vii. receive from a remote computer, via the global computer network, an instruction to change the prescription, thereby causing the processor to store a changed prescription in response thereto.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the signal sent to the individual other than the patient comprises a remote electronic device to indicate to a care giver that the patient has not acknowledged receipt of the medication.

7. A method of dispensing a medication employing a computer processor-controlled medication dispensing system that is coupled to a global computer network, comprising the actions of: a. storing a medication prescription in a computer readable memory; b. storing an amount of the medication specified in the medication prescription in at least one hopper and adding the amount to a number stored in a predetermined location of the computer readable memory, the number corresponding to a total amount of medication stored in the hopper; c. periodically determining, using the computer processor, when a medication dispensing event time specified by the medication prescription has been reached; d. when the medication dispensing event time specified by the medication prescription has been reached, sending a signal from the computer processor to an automatic medication dispensing mechanism to dispense a prescribed amount of medication from the hopper to a predetermined location and then sending a signal from the computer processor to a sound interface that causes the sound interface to sound an audible alarm indicating that the medication is ready to be taken; e. employing the computer processor to subtract the prescribed amount from the number corresponding to the total amount of medication stored in the hopper and storing the result in the predetermined location of the computer readable memory; f. comparing the number stored in the predetermined location of the computer readable memory to a threshold number and, if the number stored in the predetermined location of the computer readable memory is not greater than the threshold number then sending a low medication signal from the computer processor to a remote computer via the global computer network indicating that the hopper is running out of the medication; g. determining, with the computer processor, if an acknowledgement has been input to a user interface acknowledging receipt of prescribed amount of medication dispensed from the dispensing mechanism within a predetermined amount of time after the step of sending a signal from the computer processor to an automatic medication dispensing mechanism to dispense a prescribed amount of medication from the hopper to a predetermined location; h. if the acknowledgement has been input to the user interface within the predetermined amount of time, then causing the audible alarm to cease sounding; and i. if the acknowledgement has not been input to the user interface within the predetermined amount of time, then causing a message to be sent from the computer processor to a remote computer via the global computer network notifying the remote computer that the patient has failed to acknowledge receipt of the medication.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the remote computer comprises a computer at a pharmacy.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the remote computer comprises a computer maintained by a caregiver.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the remote computer comprises a computer maintained by a physician.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the remote computer, upon receipt of the message, sends a message to a caregiver over a wireless network indicating that the patient has not acknowledged receipt of the medication.